Parker sees ‘different mechanics’ with Tagovailoa heading into year two

All of the Miami Dolphins' talk heading into the 2021 NFL season has surrounded quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the necessary steps he must take in his second year to push Miami over the hump.

Last season, Tua led the Dolphins to a 6-3 record as a starter. Miami finished with ten wins, and in typical Dolphins fashion, they missed the playoffs. (And by “missed the playoffs,” I mean they went up to Buffalo, with the division on the line, and got dominated in all three phases of the game.)

Tagovailoa admitted he wasn’t comfortable a year ago, something he looks to improve on heading into year two.

“Well, I think last year for me, last year wasn’t – I wasn’t as comfortable just in general. I wasn’t comfortable calling plays. I think the guys that we had last year were phenomenal. I just didn’t have the comfortability of kind of checking plays, alerting plays and doing that. I just rode with the play even if I knew in a way that it wasn’t going to work. I was going to try to make it work still. But the firepower that we have this year, it’s good but you’ve got to get it out to them too. If you’re able to protect yourself and then get it out to them and have them make plays, then you’ll be good.”

I won’t sit here nitpick every word from Tagovailoa’s press conference. Not because I don’t think it’s important, but because Jake and I already touched on this during last week’s podcast.

I wanted to talk about what Tua’s teammates had said this offseason, primarily his two pass-catchers, Mike Gesicki and DeVante Parker.

Now, I won’t spend too much time on Mike Gesicki’s WWF-style promo. I think Sern did a wonderful job of breaking this down earlier this week. What I do want to talk about is what DeVante Parker said during yesterday’s press conference.

One of biggest takeaways from DVP’s presser, and the quote that stood out the most is that second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is showcasing different mechanics this offseason.

Here was what Parker said when asked if he has been working out with Tua this offseason.

“I would say – Tua, we’re all in a group chat. Tua put us in a group chat and texted us and we’ll just meet up and start throwing and try to get the rhythm down early.”

Parker was then asked if he noticed a difference in Tua Tagovailoa this offseason.

I don’t know how much different Tua’s mechanics are, or how much stronger he can sling the rock. But based on the limited footage we’ve seen, he sure does look different.

Do you expect to see a different Tua Tagovailoa in year two? What are your thoughts on DeVante Parker’s different mechanics' comment, and what are your realistic expectations for the Miami Dolphins offense heading into year two?